Leeds United have made a move to bring their former goalkeeper Alex Cairns back to the club, sources have told Football Insider.
The Yorkshire club are lining up a formal offer after registering their interest in signing Salford City’s first-choice shot-stopper.
Leeds United make move to re-sign Alex Cairns from Salford City
The bulk of his career was spent at Fleetwood, where he made 240 appearances between 2016 and 2023 while the club was in League One.
After a successful loan spell, the goalkeeper made the permanent move to Salford last summer, and has now made 77 appearances for the club, keeping 12 clean sheets.
EFL regulations state each Championship club must register a minimum of eight homegrown players in their 25-man squad, with Cairns targeted to help Leeds reach that requirement.
Illan Meslier and Karl Darlow have been the first and second-choice options under Daniel Farke, with Cairns in line to arrive as the third choice.
Cairns left Leeds in 2015, initially joining Chesterfield and then Rotherham, but after failing to make an appearance at either club, he landed at Fleetwood Town.
The bulk of his career was spent at Fleetwood, where he made 240 appearances between 2016 and 2023 while the club was in League One.
After a successful loan spell, the goalkeeper made the permanent move to Salford last summer, and has now made 77 appearances for the club, keeping 12 clean sheets.
Last season, Cairns kept eight clean sheets across 51 appearances in all competitions as Salford narrowly avoided relegation from League Two.